A World Burning
by Reaper VF6
Summary: The battle and campaigns of an Federated States of America Admiral and his fleet as they fight in the world of Dystopian Wars
1. Chapter 1

**A World Burning**

As Capt. Keyes, no Commodore Keyes boards his new ship; FNS Constitution BB-15 his mind is still reliving the events that got him his new rank and assignment. He thinks he is still on the Andrew Jackson, a Saratoga class carrier, even as he is in his new cabin going over all of the paperwork required for the new battle group and his mission. This was a promotion, a reward for his actions off of the Panama Canal Zone. Keyes is still remembering all of the lives lost and friends gone forever to be in good spirits.

This command, however, was something Keyes never expected he be worthy of. A Federal Battle Group is a large naval formation that normally has one battleship, three cruisers, nine frigates, two heavy bombers, and fighter aircraft. Due to recent loses Keyes is short three frigates and a few planes, however, he was given another heavy bomber and his old ship the Jackson to increase the fighter strength of the Stonewall Group. His crews are a mix of fresh kids from boot camp and veterans with combat experience. Keyes shakes his head at the condition of this command but at least he is not dead like the majority of the last battle group he was a part of.

Only a few things this past month made has Keyes happy. The fact that he is alive, the Jackson is still afloat, and he got time to visit with his family. That last part was very important after telling the families of so many friends that your son, father, husband is not coming home. I did my best to protect them and tried to save them but it was not enough, I am sorry for your loss.

His family was grateful to see him and he was able to spend his leave and most of his predeployment time with them because his wife family's home is just outside the Federal Naval Station at Norfolk. He gave everyone gifts from his time in the Pacific. For his wife Olivia a necklace of shells and pearls that lights up her face and dark hair like a star filled night at sea. His mother, sister, and mother-in-law both got beautiful dresses from various Pacific Rim nations, and his father and father-in-law received fine cigars and fiery rums from the islands. Keyes gave his son a small knife he got from protecting a village from a group of Japanese marines; it was the Japanese lieutenant's knife. Duty and honor is engraved in the blade, which he tells his son is worth fighting for. Lastly, his daughter is given different island instruments to play, she is a musical prodigy.

The night of the commissioning ceremony was a great big party with everyone from the base and a few high level politicians that are family friends. Keyes is enjoying the camaraderie of his fellow officers when he is dragged away by his wife to mingle with the Senators. As much as he hates politics and the blame games they play, he understands the need to have friends/supporters in high level places. Who knows maybe they can shake a few more ships lose for his battle group. The night ended early because most of the guests had ships and meetings to report to in the morning and needed their rest.

Keyes looked at the departing guest with a bittersweet smile; this was his last night ashore that he can spend with his family. Olivia had promised it would be a special one, so he could take memory of it with him to sea. He hopes this will distract him from his recent loss and besides tomorrow he is taking command of a new battle group and is going to be overseeing final preparation for the new mission.

Back in his cabin abroad Constitution he takes a moment to relive the Canal Zone Clash at least that is what the press is calling it. Keyes remembers it as several hours of terror and heroic actions of dead men. The battle happened only two months ago but it still feels like yesterday. Keyes, still a captain and in command of the Jackson, is steaming with the rest of her battle group consisting of two battleships, his carrier, six cruisers, seven destroyers, a pair of Lee class scout ships, twelve frigates, and forty-eight fighter aircraft aboard the Jackson. This group was commanded by Commodore Brooks flying his flag from the Battleship Davis.

Keyes had just taken over the Jackson when her CO got sick after visiting the last island they anchored off of. This made Keyes the Vice-Commodore of the battle group. The orders given to Brooks form CINCPAC made it clear they were sailing into harm's way; they were to find and destroy an Empire of the Blazing Sun Task Force that was headed toward the Canal. The report also stated that a Prussian Aerial Group was in the area as well, and an unconfirmed report of several Britannia Combat Rotors that could threaten the Battle Group. The Canal was to be protected at all cost.

Recon flights detected the oncoming Blazing Sun Task Force late, not enough time for the Jackson's fliers to attack the enemy ships. It is going to be up to the whole battle group to stop this threat to the Canal. Commodore Brooks maneuvered his ships into a battle formation. With the destroyers covering the carrier, the battleships in line head in the center, the cruisers are in the van, and frigates covering the flanks. This formation was good if we were fighting the Brits or the Prussians but not the Japanese with their hellish fire rockets.

Their opening salvo was aimed at the carrier. Two of the destroyers took the brunt of the incoming fire. Our cruisers and frigates charged toward the enemy guns and rockets blazing. The battleships turned broadside to the enemy and opened up with their large long range rifles. The Jackson and her consorts move behind the battle line so the Jackson can launch its fighters and the destroyers can add their rocket batteries to the fight.

The charging ships took one more hellfire rocket volley and we lost a frigate to a direct hit and she sunk in minutes covered in flames. The battleships, while taking heavy fire from their opposite number, managed to sink the enemy cruisers before the vanguard ships reach the enemy formation. After what seemed like an eternity of fighting, the enemy was conquered, his ships sunk, and our men pulled from the water. We lost three more frigates and a cruiser in that close quarter combat along with twenty two fighters.

As the Brooks orders the group to close formation every ship in the fleet is running their damage control teams hard to patch up their ships and get ready for more combat. Keyes is grateful for the double deck design of his ship. This allows him to rotate the use of the decks for his returning planes while the damage control teams concentrate on fixing the decks one problem at a time and had his plane crews ready the fliers for more strikes. As a terse radio message was sent by Sightseer, the Jackson's recon plane, saying he spotted the Prussian Aerial group heading... The message was cut off and last thing that was heard was a crackle of lighting.

Brooks had the smaller ships form a half circle around the three capital ships that were in a reverse triangle, the battleships up font and the carrier behind them. Then we waited. The exhausted crews barely resting as the tension continues to build, and the pilots waiting for the launch command. I am wondering whether this battle group can hold against this onslaught of lighting, bombs, and guns.


	2. Chapter 2

Suddenly the hair on the back of Keyes' neck stood up like it was being shocked. The air was filling with feeling of electricity and then we heard the dull rumbling of the Prussians Zeppelins descending from the thick grey smog choked clouds. We were confronted with one Imperium sky fortress carrier, one large zeppelin battleship, and six light zeppelin scout ships. The Imperium unleashed its fighter swarm and the fighters accompanied three scout zeppelins and heading toward us. My reaction was swift, launch all fighters, gun crews stand by for anti-air action, and all hands man prepare for damage control efforts.

On Brooks direct command our attached Lee scout ships and the twenty six remaining fighters advanced toward the enemy heavily outnumbered. They had to fight the Prussian away from the ships because the immediate airspace was going to be filled with anti-aircraft fire to hopefully shred any flier that got in close. The Lees moved to attack the incoming Prussian scout zeppelins and our twenty six fighters matched up against the thirty-five attacking Prussian fighters.

Within two minutes one of the Lees disintegrated in mid-air after getting hit by multiple Telsa cannon bursts. That ship only fired a handful of rockets to little effect. The other Lee did not fare much better, going down in flames. At least this one managed to go down with company, a single scout was destroyed by our two scout ships. The fighter pilots once again in proved they were the best in the fleet by wiping out every Prussian flier and damaging one of the advancing zeppelins, however this was done at high cost only ten planes reported they were coming to land. I told my XO to have the engineering teams start to assemble the reserve planes and get the reserve pilots to help.

The two scout zeppelins moved into weapons range and started firing at us and we were filling the sky with explosions. The sky seemed to be on fire like an angry deity was hurtling fire and lighting upon the earth. We killed the two scout ships but we lost the remaining destroyers, one cruisers sunk with three heavily damaged, three frigates so badly holed that is an act of god they have not either sunk or exploded but still are shooting.

The rest of our ships are in poor condition and still the Prussian advance. With the three scout zeppelins and the battleship zeppelin charging their Telsa cannons our guns swiveling to target them. We opened fire at point blank range and the next few seconds were a blaze of bright light and concussions. The Prussians lost their Imperium carrier and another scout ship. The rest of them broke off leaving us with just three cruisers, six frigates, and the capital ships all damaged. The Jackson is now down to just five flyable planes with the reserves being readied as fast as possible, thirty minutes reports the XO via a messenger.

The remaining Prussians turn and get ready to deliver the killing blow to what is left of our fleet. I pray to God to look after my family and spare them the grief I know will come. As the Prussians advance something unexpected happens, large caliber shells start to explode around the zeppelins knocking them out of the sky. We scan the skies for our saviors, hoping to the see the three hulled profile of several Valley class aerial battleships but finding something else.

Two Eagle class heavy war rotors and escorting Hawk class light war rotors glide out of the gray skies. They positioned themselves off the bow of our tattered fleet. They opened a radio channel demanding our surrender. Commodore Brooks respectfully declined their request. The war rotors responded with a hail storm of death. Brook's battleship, the Davis, was pummeled and the reactor was breached. The ship, her crew, and the Commodore disappeared in a green flash. Nothing was left but smoke and ash, the Brits then demanded our capitulation.

This time they did not realize they had drifted into range of the fleets anti-aircraft guns. I assumed command of the fleet and told the Brits we will compile and moved directly underneath them. Before they could react I then order a full barrage of every weapon that could be brought to bear. Guns boomed and rockets launch straight up. The British rotors taken by surprise lost most of their Hawks in the first few minutes. Their response was terrible, clouds of shrapnel and salvoes of rockets tear into us. We can't hold on much longer as ship after ship succumbs to this typhoon of steel and fire.

Over the booming guns another sound filled the battle space, engines, and dozens of them. The crew managed to get the planes assembled and are launching them. Fifty-three fighters leave the Jackson's shot up flight deck into a sky ablaze, with steely eyes and fire in their hearts they attack. In moments the shooting stopped, the Brits moving off with only two rotors, one Hawk and one smoking Eagle class. We have just the Jackson, the battleship Jefferson, and one remaining cruiser, which is on fire. The only thing that marks the location of the other ships, are billowing pillars of oily black smoke over the ocean. Twenty fighters request landing vectors, thirty three planes and their brave pilots were lost.

Before we could get to the cruiser it had exploded and the Jefferson is requesting a tow. With the rescue efforts hastily done we are heading away from the battle space at slow five knots with the Jefferson in tow. I radioed for assistance and they are sending an escort group of destroyers, airships, and escorts and are two days away.

It is a miracle that any of us survived that last fight. The Jefferson is barely seaworthy and the Jackson is barely moving and floating at the same time. The crew of the Jefferson is down to fifty percent effective with at least ten percent confirmed KIA. The Jackson lost the majority of its air wing over ninety percent KIA with the crew strength around sixty percent with fifteen percent KIA.

All I keep thing of is that heads will roll for this disaster and I should resign because it was my calls that got the rest of the fleet sunk. Also the matter of the fake surrender, I had violated a code of conduct, the honor of navy is tarnished because of my actions. Now I can never call for help because no one would believe me. In order to win I had to doom myself that in every future fight it will be a fight to the death with no chance of quarter given or mercy shown. All that is left is victory or an empty coffin and a flag for my wife while my body is gone and my soul heading toward final judgment. Let the historian's judge me for my duty was clear.


End file.
